Having fun and helping others.....

This year we have chosen to support the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, to donate now or create your own fundraising page for the Buccleuch Property Challenge 2011 click www.justgiving.com/edinburghsickkids.

The purpose of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation is to provide extra funding in addition to NHS provision in four main areas which will benefit the 100,000 children and their families who come to the hospital every year. They do this by raising funds to provide for:

•  extra comforts for sick children being cared for at the hospital and in the community
•  extra state of the art medical equipment
•  extra family and child-friendly facilities
•  extra training and research.

Their main focus is to provide for the Royal Hospital for Sick Children but also provide help in the Community.

Current Projects - May 2011

CUSA Equipment

They are currently working hard to raise £68,000 which will fund the purchase of new, revolutionary CUSA equipment. The equipment has special capability to deal with difficult to remove brain and spinal chord tumours – allowing for faster surgery, better cosmetic results and faster healing times.

Ongoing Projects

The Sick Kids Friends Foundation Drop In Centre, a homely flat providing family space round the corner from the hospital where families can enjoy time away from the wards and access the  internet, arts and crafts, support, complementary therapies and entertainment.

PJ’s Loft and other Parent Accommodation, provides bedrooms for parents who need to be with their children day and night. Daytime living areas and showers are also provided for those who sleep on the wards beside their children. Housekeepers, funded by the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, look after these areas and ensure that they are constantly kept clean tidy and in four star condition.

The Artists in Residence project funded by the Sick Kids will last for three years and encompass many different forms of art, including illustration, writing, working with different media, sculpture, dance, digital imaging and photography. It will increase the artistic input at the hospital and enrich the children’s experience of time spent here as well as providing inspiration for the artwork at the new hospital.

If you would like to know more please visit www.edinburghsickkids.org for more information on these projects and how you can get involved. Alternatively email will.guest@luht.scot.nhs.uk or phone 0131 668 4949 for more details.